Posts tagged "iphones"

A few weeks ago, I tried out WNYC's "Bored and Brilliant" project, a challenge that encouraged participants to step away from their phones and see what kinds of creative thoughts come up when we allow our minds to wander. The challenge asked that users track the minutes they…

Most of us suffer from some form or another of smartphone addiction, and we have a tendency to whip out our phones anytime we're alone with our thoughts or find ourselves getting bored. Without space for our minds to wander, are we missing out on prime creativity…

A new study from the University of Missouri found that people can suffer serious psychological and physiological effects when separated from their phones. Despite the fact that our collective cell phone obsession is the world's favorite thing to talk about, very little research exists on what happens when our iPhones are taken away from us.

Today, Apple unveiled two new phones: the gigantic-screened iPhone 6 and the even clunkier iPhone 6 Plus. Both phones will be released on September 19th. One exciting feature will be mobile payments, which allows users to use the phone as a credit card on trips to the store. A bigger surprise announcement today was the…

A new iPhone app called PHHHOTO (created by a company called, not surprisingly, HYPERHYPER) turns your photos into instant GIFs. As you can see, even Diplo is into using it for selfies. When you take a photo through the app, it takes multiple pictures in a row and…

The more time I spend staring at my iPhone when I don't really need to, the more choppy and unfocused my thoughts are. When I'm staring at the thing too often, my mind is more likely to veer toward mopey thoughts, time moves faster, and a low-grade anxiety hums in the back of my mind.

A new app called Moment is an attempt to help us curb our iPhone addictions by telling us exactly how much time we spend staring it at each day. I think most of us don't realize the massive cumulative impact of the little 5-minute phone checks we do while waiting in line at the…

One of the biggest reasons I take pictures on the regular is a fear of forgetting, but as it turns out, all those pictures may be making my memories more likely to go fuzzy. There are so many small, delicious slices of life that I'm afraid will slip away forever or go undocumented somewhere in my…

Does the thought of missing Mr. Bojangles' adorably pawing at shadows on the wall give you social anxiety? Kittyo, an intriguing/obnoxious new app, will allow you to hang out with your cat via iPhone remote control when you're not home. Kittyo features a webcam for owners to check in on their cats, a remote-controlled laser…

As much as it bugs me when companies try to go all "high road," I can make an exception for this hilarious Coca-Cola Social Media Guard commercial. The Guard, a fake product that is basically a cone of shame, makes it impossible for a person to look down at their phone and instead, forces them…

A brilliant ad campaign about the dangers of internet predators shows us who could be lurking on the other side of those oh-so-quaint emoji that we love to send back and forth. A nonprofit called Innocence en Danger, which combats childhood sexual abuse, created the campaign. The images are meant to spread…

I love Instagram. I may even be a little bit addicted, so I was sort of on the edge of my seat this morning when the app held a press event to announce some mystery news. Instagram's co-founder, Kevin Systrom, revealed Instagram Direct, which allows you to send photos and videos to one…

Pro-tip: If you are spending hundreds or thousands of dollars to purchase something from a stranger, it's wise to check and make sure you're actually getting what you've bought. Case in point, a naive 21-year-old woman living in the suburbs of Brisbane, Australia, who searched around on a Craigslist-y site called Gumtree for a new…

Every phone I've ever owned has met a tragic and untimely death. Whether it's the toilet, the concrete, the washing machine, a sandy beach, or a spilled glass of juice, I am an expert at breaking cell phones, so when I splurged on a fancy new Android a few weeks ago, I vowed things would…

Recently, an enterprising bro made a handy iPhone app that allows men to track their girlfriends' and wives' period cycles. Jon Rose, who created the whimsically titled "Code Red" app, says it tracks "all of her cycles — it works for ovulation ... it works if you just want to know when she'…

Rumor has it that iPhone OS 3.0, which should be released this summer, will allow for more "mature" apps. Apple has improved the parental controls, which in theory will let parents better control the apps their children are able to download and the content they have access to on the device. Although the responsibility of…

There are iPhone apps for practically everything, from finding restaurants and bars to staying on budget and reading your horoscope. Now there's one that will help you find the location of your phone if it gets taken by a pervy thief. The stealth iDateMe appears to be a provocative image of…

Did you have a baby last year? We didn't -- good thing, too, because babies are expensive and we really can't afford one at the moment. Yesterday, the USDA released its estimate for what it will cost to raise a child born in 2007 until he or she turns 18. Factoring for inflation, middle-income familie…

Simply Irresistible

As you slog your way through the myriad not-yet-April Fools' Day pranks that plague this nation, revel in this: no one has ever pranked someone better than Michael Jackson pranked Russell Crowe, and he did it for years. In an interview with The Guardian, Crowe revealed that despite having never met Jackson,…